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Buncombe County officials report slight rise in homelessness, highlight FEMA sheltering impact
Summary
Buncombe County presented results from its 2025 point‑in‑time (PIT) count: total unsheltered individuals rose to 328, transitional housing decreased after a facility loss, and FEMA temporary sheltering assistance (TSA) placements added 1,548 people to the continuum total reported to HUD.
Lacey Hoyle, Buncombe County homelessness program manager, presented the county’s 2025 point‑in‑time (PIT) count results, reporting increases in unsheltered individuals and describing how FEMA temporary sheltering assistance affected the final continuum tally.
The PIT count is a one‑night census of people who meet HUD’s federal definition of literal homelessness (emergency shelter, transitional housing, or unsheltered). This year’s evening count occurred Jan. 28 from 4 to 7 p.m., with an additional daytime count used to reach encampments and service sites, Hoyle said. The county deployed 135 volunteers for the count.
Why it matters: the PIT count informs local Continuum of Care (CoC) planning and funding priorities and helps planners estimate shelter needs, service gaps and populations that are disproportionately impacted.
Key findings Hoyle highlighted include: 270 people were in emergency shelter on the night counted (the same raw number recorded…
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